Catching Up . . .

Okay, I write about three blogs a week in my head . . . unfortunately it's been five whole months since I actually wrote one down here. But today was such an awesome day that I had to share.

Today K, mom and I participated in our first 5K . . . it was great to have 3 generations (8 yrs, 38 yrs and 58 yrs old) able to do it together. K was the first "walker" to finish with mom and I shortly behind the main group.

The walk/run benefited the Warrior Trail which we biked on frequently last fall. It's part of an awesome program called "Rails to Trails," where old railroad tracks and rights-of-way are converted to walking/biking paths to promote healthier lifestyles and alternate transportation options. Of course, I mainly like to use it because it's flat . . . which is pretty hard to find around here!

While the walk itself was pretty uneventful, the rest of the day was interesting . . . on the way to the registration table K was crawling around on the playground equipment when her foot slipped . . . her conviction that "her bits were broken" seemed to disappear as soon as the mayor shouted "Go" to start the race . . . then she was off like a rabbit. I was more hare-like in my approach to the course.

After the race, I was in the pavilion frantically hoping that the runners who finished the course in half the time it took me hadn't eaten all the food when a man who had run the race kept looking in my direction. Finally he asked if I was Samantha White . . . I recognized him but had no idea why. It turns we went elementary and middle school together! Now considering I've gained about 50 pounds since graduating from high school, I'm always tickled when people I haven't seen in 25 years recognize me.

His exact words were something like "I thought that was you before the race, but when I saw you smile, I knew it was you." We spent a few minutes catching up but I'm assuming since he was very attractive and my luck on that front borders between poor and none, I'm sure he's happily married with 6 kids . . . but the conversation made my day anyway. (Note to self: smile more often).

In other news, since I last blogged in November, K completed her first season in the youth swim league. Thankfully she loved it since it's hard to find ways to keep kids active when it's 12 degrees outside. She'll be starting soccer next week. During the lull between swim and soccer, we started actually using our YMCA membership and go several nights a week. Usually we work out together in the Family Fitness Area, we try to get in the pool once a week and last week I attempted to teach her racquetball. On the school front her reading has improved dramatically this year thanks to in-school Title I assistance and after school tutoring twice a week. In church, K is getting ready for First Communion at the end of the month and she participated in the Christmas play in December. Mostly I just try to keep up.

F is for Fall . . .

Fall is my favorite time of year . . . back to school, Halloween and Election Night . . . it just don't get no better than this. Oh, and my upcoming birthday on November 14 in case you're interested.

Here are some pics from our fall highlights . . .







K's first day of 2nd grade. She's doing much better this year and getting in and after school tutoring for reading.

Finally! After a summer full of wondering if we should put her in wedges to go to the park , K was tall enough to ride the big coasters at Dorney when we went in early October for Halloween.

Messing around in Virginia Beach . . . one of our stops on the Fall Fun Tour since students get a fall break for the Bloomsburg Fair . . . yes, the fair.

K's "casual" Halloween costume . . . worn for the Annual Boucek Halloween Bash, trick or treating at the Y and handing out candy at the AMVETs.




























K's "good" Halloween costume, worn for the church Halloween party and trick or treating in town. Also, my Halloween costume (or normal Sunday attire, minus the jester hat which is K's).

B is for Baby (Shower)

Apparently all of my October blogs are going to be titled with an alphabet theme . . . although I sincerely doubt I'll be writing be 26 of them.

After a fairly mellow week around here (our biggest project was K making a picture frame out of foam pieces for her dad's birthday) we more than made up for it this weekend. I had a planning meeting for my 20th class reunion Friday night so we bypassed Movie Night and K had a Girls Night with her aunt and cousin. I think the part of the evening Aunt Jamie enjoyed most was when she got her house (and some peace and quiet) back.

K and I finished about a gazillion errands for mom Saturday morning while she was working. And since living in Virginia Beach for the first 7 years of her life has left K's winter shoe collection woefully inadequate, most of the afternoon was spent trying to find something more substantial than a flip flop for K to wear to school. We also attended a memorial service for my great uncle who passed away Thursday afternoon. We wrapped the evening up with a short stop at the Kishbaugh's on our way home from The Great Shoe Hunt.

K with Nishu at her baby shower.

It was an early night because we had to be at church early today. K had a life long wish granted when she got to sit in the front pew since the first four rows were reserved for First Communion candidates. After church and CCD class, we jumped in the car and headed to Nishu's baby shower. The original plan was to say hi and get home in time to see Big Ben's return to Heintz field. Those plans changed as soon as K walked in the door. It took about 10 seconds for her to start dancing to the Bollywood music and after seeing all the beautiful Indian outfits the only complaint K had was that she didn't stop at home to get some bling after class.

After eating her weight in baked beans and winning a rousing game of musical chairs, we finally headed home where K was able to catch an encore presentation of the new Scooby Doo movie we missed on Saturday and I managed to make Chicken Tortilla soup for the Halloween party Saturday.

After all that excitement I'm looking forward to Monday and the start of a nice quiet week.

A is for Apple

Now that school and fall activities are back in full swing, things have settled down a bit around here. Hopefully that means I'll be able to update the blog on a slightly more regular basis than I have been. On the boring days (like you have any of those with a 7 year old) I'll be flashing back to some of the highlights since school started.

K and her cousin "working" the cider press.

Last weekend, in attempt to squeeze every last drop from our Dorney Park passes, we swung into action as soon as K's feet left the school bus and hit the ground. After a quick run through of chores and a potty break, K and I jumped in the car and headed across the river to hook up with our friends the Kishbaugh's. One hour (and no car sickness) later, we pulled into the parking lot in Allentown. We were all delighted to see that all this country air lead to K having a growth spurt over the summer that allowed her to hit the magical 54" mark on the ride board. Basking in her achievements, we hit the first two roller coasters in the park for the first time all year.

After two hours in the park, we piled in the car for a sleepover with our friend Nora who lives in the area. K was delighted to spend some time with Sarah and JP and I enjoyed the newly finished man cave in the basement with the rest of the grown ups. We also scored an entire bag of clothes that Sarah had outgrown, including some very cute horse themed shirts which K has already debuted in school.

Saturday included a lazy morning, a bout of car sickness that was thankfully relieved in a Burger King bathroom, a quick trip to Wal Mart and a birthday party for two of K's classmates.

Sunday morning was church and a parent's meeting for her upcoming first communion then home for the real fun of the weekend. Weeks ago Sunday had been scheduled as "Apple Cider Day" around here. By the time we got home, my brother and his family were here with my dad, my cousin and his son. The back of the pickup was loaded with red and green apples that were being shot into a contraption that chopped them up before the buckets were hauled a few feet away to the apple press whose mechanics I still don't quite understand. Even though the bees drank their share, we still ended up with a lot of yummy fresh apple cider. Most of it was handed out to pay the help, but some of it did end up in the freezer and our tummies.

The day and the cider were just delicious.

Too Darn Quite Around Here

My godson, Jordan . . .
Lord, it's hard to believe I used to change his diapers.

I had a great weekend in Pittsburgh, visiting my best friend and having her spoil me rotten. There were trips to the outlet mall, Rivers Casino, the Church Brew House and of course, the Steelers Store. But like any good adventure, the hangover is now setting in. The main point of the trip was to drop K off with her dad so she could spend some time with him in Virginia after celebrating Grandma's last day of work with a surprise appearance at her retirement party Friday.

Lord, it sure is quite around here without that girl. Not to mention the poor dog now has no one to play tug of war with.

Yawn . . .

Not too much going on today. I've been trying to finish up the "Rearrange All My Crap in the Limited Space That is My Bedroom" project before heading back to work for the Census. My goal is to be finished before I head to Lisa's wedding this weekend . . . so far, so good.

Tuesday is Weigh In Day and I am happy to report that I was under 220 for the second time in three weeks . . . since I'm guessing each of my boobs weights at least 10 pounds, I am now under 200 pounds in my imagination. Thirty pounds to go before Thanksgiving and my 20th class reunion.

Since K and I were both going stir crazy today (and I need to get started on those 30 lbs), dinner was a picnic at Riverlands followed by a nice long walk on one of their nature trails. Other than that, today was a big old yawn.

I Really Do Try . . .

I try to be a good person . . . I really, really do . . . super secret swear. But sometimes it's just plain hard to take the high road, especially when people who have no idea what they're talking about take pot shots from their ivory towers. Then I just take a deep breath, pray for patience and remember that I generally don't care what other people think. I know who I am . . . a great mother, a loving daughter, a good friend and an all around decent person. I don't lie, I don't steal and I try to treat people better than they treat me. Sure, I can be a little snarky at times, but for those who love me, it's part of my charm. But enough about that.


K and I had a great weekend. Saturday we got to join my cousin Jim and his amazing wife Wendy as they celebrated her daughter's graduation from high school. Unfortunately, we weren't familiar with the house and no one told us there was a pool. Lucky for us, we don't stand on ceremony around here and after watching K gaze longingly at the pool for several minutes I made an executive decision that a proper bathing suit was not required to enjoy the festivities . . . especially since it would have been a 20 minute drive back to the house or 20 minutes (in the other direction) to the nearest Wal-Mart. In addition to her hillbilly swimwear, K also created a makeshift raft . . . we had swim noodles in the car, but no swimsuit . . . go figure.



Today was even better. After K and I went to church, my brother, sister-in-law and niece came up to celebrate Father's Day with me, Mom, Dad and K. Nothing beats London Broil, potato salad and corn on the cob . . . unless it's the girls playing Crazy 8s, Old Mail and Jenga while the boys slept off their supper.



To add icing to an already perfect day, K finally dislodged one of her loose front teeth. We're hoping the new one comes in before her official Flower Girl duties at Uncle John's wedding in August. Luckily, one of the few things that isn't packed away in the storage unit was the special bag the Tooth Fairy gave K to put her teeth in. She will be pleasantly surprised in a few hours to realize that, yes the Tooth Fairy does apparently work of Father's Day . . . but only because she found one of the gold $1 coins she trades for teeth in the ashtray of Mommy's car . . . we'll keep that part to ourselves.